The London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) will screen 40 films this November organizing the selection under various headings: Cinema Now, Special Focus: 40th Anniversary of Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), Women’s Voices, Special Screenings and Korea Season.
The film festival opens Nov. 2 with the film A Normal Family directed by Hur Jin-ho (Forbidden Dream, Lost, Christmas in August). The director will attend. The festival closes on Nov. 16 with the Korean box office hit Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman. Both the opening and closing screenings will take place at the British Film Institute theater, BFI Southbank.
A Normal Family is based on the bestselling Dutch novel Het Diner (The Dinner) by Herman Koch. The Korean film is the latest cinematic adaptation, following Dutch, Italian and US versions. The story, which stars Kim Hee-ae and Jang Dong-gun, is set at an expensive restaurant and features two couples who must cope with incidents involving their teenage children.
Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is based on the Korean webtoon Possessed by Hoo and Kim Hong-tae. In the comedy a fake exorcist, played by Gang Dong-won (Broker, Peninsula) ends up facing a real case of demonic possession. The film, which also stars Esom and Lee Dong-hwi, is the feature debut of director Kim Seong-sik, an assistant director to Bong Joon-ho on the Academy Award-winning film Parasite and to Park Chan-wook on the Academy Award nominee Decision to Leave.
The Special Screenings selection includes Riceboy Sleeps by Korean-Canadian writer-director Anthony Shim. Riceboy Sleeps is a drama about a Korean single mother raising her young son in Canada.
The Cinema Now section offers Walk Up, the latest work of veteran director Hong Sang-soo, which stars actors Kwon Hae-hyo and Lee Hye-young. The section also includes Hail to Hell, created by writer/director Lim Oh-jeong, who will attend a Q&A event. Hail to Hell, a film about bullying and a foiled plan for revenge, stars Park Sung-hoon and Oh Woo-ri.
Chang Hang-jun’s film Open The Door offers a look at the disintegrating lives of a migrant Korean family across two generations living in New Jersey. Lee Hae-young’s Phantom is a riveting spy adventure with great performances by Lee Ha-nee and Park So-dam. The story is set during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945). GreenHouse is writer-director-editor Lee Sol-hui’s debut feature. The film follows the struggles of a caregiver played by Kim Seo-hyung. Park Sang-min’s I Haven’t Done Anything begins with a YouTube-style video documentary about former child actor Oh Tae-kyung, known as “Little Oh Dae-su” for his role as the younger version of Choi Min-sik’s character in Oldboy.
In the Women’s Voices strand, the festival features the documentary A Table for Two, directed by Kim Bo-ram (For Vagina’s Sake). The film explores how anorexia symptoms experienced by women are connected to social conditions and relationships. Also featured is The Summer from director Han Ji-won (Sundance Film Festival Short Film Award Nominee), which is based on a novel by Choi Eun-young. Four shorts complete the strand: My Little Aunt, by An Sun-you, A Room of Two Women’s Own by Hui Joan Ji-yey, My Annoying Mother by Lee Hye-ji and Noh Gyeong-mu’s How to Get Your Man Pregnant.
The Special Focus Strand commemorates KAFA’s 40th Anniversary. Created by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) in 1984. KAFA has nurtured over 700 prominent film-industry talents, including directors Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), Hur Jin-ho (Christmas in August, A Normal Family), Choi Dong-hoon (Alienoid), and Jo Sung-hee (Space Sweepers). As part of the 40th Anniversary, the festival will host a forum at the Korean Cultural Centre UK on Nov. 10, offering insights into the broader trends of the Korean film industry.
The Korea Season strand showcases four films that address the theme of disability and also four Indie Talent films devoted to highlighting new voices and the work of established directors exploring new directions.
Korea Season is organized by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange and the Korean Cultural Centre UK. Korea Season was launched in 2022 to enhance mutual cultural exchanges with other countries. This year’s festival will be hosted at BFI Southbank, Picturehouse Central, ICA, Ciné Lumière, Rio Cinema, Rich Mix and the Garden Cinema.
Read the full article here